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If you’ve been in wellness spaces lately, you’ve probably heard people say things like: “Regulate your nervous system.” “Activate your vagus nerve.” “Get into rest and digest.” “You’re stuck in survival mode.” If you’ve secretly thought, I don’t even really understand what my nervous system does, you’re not alone! Welcome to Vagus Nerve 101! …

The Big Island is often associated with adventure — volcano hikes, snorkeling, surfing — but it’s also one of the most restorative places in Hawaiʻi if you know where to go. If you’re looking for relaxing things to do on the Big Island, these nature experiences invite you to slow down, breathe deeply, and reset…

When the world feels loud, fast, or heavy, it’s natural for our hearts to tighten. The constant stream of information can pull us out of our center, leaving us reactive, anxious, or disconnected. One powerful way to return to steadiness is through heart coherence — a state where the rhythms of the heart, breath, and…

If you feel more tired, less motivated, or a little “muted” during the winter months, you’re not imagining it, and you’re not broken. Winter asks something different of our nervous system, our hormones, and our expectations of productivity.  Understanding dopamine’s seasonal rhythm can help us move out of self-blame and into more sustainable ways of…

Members of the International Palm Society and Hawaii Island Palm Society are about to embark on an adventure from Vietnam to Thailand studying the palms of those regions. Some members are extending the trip to include some remote islands like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. This is part of a…

Spring flowering trees are on schedule to bloom and most notable are the cherry blossoms of upland Waimea. To celebrate the blooming, check out the Waimea Cherry Blossom Festival next Saturday, February 7th. There will be all kinds of activities to showcase the age old Japanese tradition of hanami. According to Fern Gavelek the free…

When the first Polynesian arrived in the Hawaiian Islands centuries ago, there were no coconut palms here. There were no Mountain Apple, Breadfruit, kalo, olena and many other plants we think of as Hawaiian. If you think that kukui, bananas, and ti are natives and seem to grow easily, then it is time to rethink!…

In the many micro climates of our island, wild orchids bloom year around like Spathoglottis plicata commonly known as the Philippine Ground Orchid and Arundina graminifolia or Bamboo Orchid. However, they like many other orchids tend to respond to the lengthening days. Folks living on the mainland are experiencing the chill of winter but Hawaii’s…

  Winter doesn’t just change the weather—it changes your brain chemistry. Many people assume in winter, low mood means they need more motivation. In reality, what’s often missing isn’t dopamine—it’s serotonin. Understanding the difference can change how you care for yourself this season! Dopamine and Serotonin: A Simple Distinction Dopamine is about drive, novelty, reward,…

Screening plants like good fences, vines and hedges make good neighbors goes the old saying, and maybe in the old days it was the case. They may be used for privacy, to keep animals in or out or to exclude other folks. Stone walls are traditional and impressive, but expensive. Today, we have so many…

Diseases, insects and viruses have plagued humans since before we became human. Unfortunately, history doesn’t always tell much of the story. Civilizations have come and gone and we aren’t sure how much the great plagues impacted humans and food on which we depended had caused collapse. We do know that recent history has shown that…

Every January, the message is loud and relentless: New year. New goals. More discipline. More output. But winter is not the season of acceleration. It is the season of conservation. When we try to force summer-level productivity onto winter bodies, something breaks—not because we are weak, but because we are ignoring the intelligence of the…

  Winter asks us to live differently—but most of us keep using summer tools in a winter body. Shorter days, less light, more time indoors, and colder temperatures all change our nervous system chemistry. Motivation dips. Mood wavers. Energy becomes precious. This isn’t a personal failure—it’s biology meeting season. Winter self-care isn’t about “fixing” yourself….

There is a moment each year when the world exhales. The Winter Solstice—the longest night, the quietest turning—is not a collapse into darkness, but a pause so deep it becomes holy. In a culture that worships momentum, winter arrives as a rebellion, reminding us to descend into what lays beneath the surface and that we…

If you are the kind of person who makes New Years resolutions but never follows through, then maybe they are resolutions just too big to achieve. Start by keeping it manageable like planting one tree. You can do that on the first day of 2026! Since you have achieved your goal, then hopefully you will…

This is the perfect weekend with Christmas, Boxing Day and more celebrations coming. Many Americans are not familiar with the history of Boxing Day, but it is perhaps second only in importance to celebrating the birth of Jesus. The tradition of Boxing Day may be traced back to the early Christian era when the rich…

The pace of modern life can leave us disconnected—from the earth, from each other, and from ourselves. At Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary, we believe the forest offers a pathway home to clarity, calm, and deep presence. We’re passionate about bridging the divide between humans and nature, so that every person can tap into their innate…

By Norman Bezona All kinds of nuts and dried fruit are popular at Christmas, but no nut is so popular as the Macadamia. Some folks on the mainland think Macadamia nut trees are native to Hawaii, but here we know it is an Australian tree that we adopted as our own. We use the nut…

At Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary, our sound baths weave together nature and vibration — using carefully chosen instruments that invite deep relaxation, restoration, and connection with the land. Below are some of the key instruments our sound bath practitioners use, along with their origins, traditional uses, and what they bring to a forest-immersed sound healing…

Gift-giving can be an act of love—for both the receiver and the planet. This season, instead of buying items destined for drawers or landfills, choose gifts with intention, longevity, and impact. At Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary, we believe that the most powerful gifts are the ones that support wellbeing, connection, and earth-care. Here are five…