Kauai Adventures for Your Heart and Soul

Have you ever visited Kauai? Chances are if you have you saw terrific beaches, great hotels, world-class golfing, sweet local restaurants, and (if you got really lucky) the elusive “green flash,” which supposedly appears on the famous North Shore of the island just as the sun dips below the horizon.

Of course, if you go to Kauai for spiritual travel there’s a lot more to see and do than have a Mai Tai and take a Jeep tour or go to a traditional Hawaiian luau, though these activities are also not to be missed. Here are some suggestions for diving down deeper on a spiritual tour of this most wonderful Hawaiian island:

Blue Room Cave

On the beautiful coastal road of Kauai’s North Shore is a gorgeous, mystical, wet cave called the Blue Room. It is one of the island’s many unusual geological formations. A peaceful feeling instantly settles upon you when you enter this cave. It’s indescribable, like you are entering an entirely new world. The acoustics are amazing, too; consider creating your own ceremony, including chanting and instruments, and connect with the island’s energies and set positive intentions or goals.

House of Hula

Close to the Blue Room is the Ke Ahu a Laka Halau hula heiau (House of Hula). A heiau is a sacred site built by the ancient Hawaiians as a healing temple, and this locale features two such ancient temples. With a sweeping view of the blue ocean below on one side, lush rainforest and a tall cliff surround the rest of this site, making it one of the most spectacular and beautiful heiaus on the Hawaiian Islands.

Hula dancers were trained here in the stringent art of this ancient Hawaiian dance. The purpose of hula was to increase fertility in nature. King Kalakaua called hula the language of the heart and the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people. Today, the House of Hula allows you to connect with your heart and the spirit of Hawaii.

Kauai Hindu Monastery

Kauai Aadheenam, also known as the Kauai Hindu Monastery, is a traditional Tamil Saivite South Indian-style monastery and temple complex, home to around two-dozen monks. The lush temple grounds also house several granite murtis, or representations of the divine, and this area is regarded as a place where heaven meets the earth. The core of the monastery is the renowned Kadavul Temple, where the monks practice fire pujas, powerful religious rituals. Visitors are welcome here at the monastery from 9 a.m. to noon daily but are asked not to visit until 10:30 a.m. unless they want to participate in the morning puja. There are appropriate ways to dress and sit and photography is strictly prohibited so it’s a good idea to check out the website before you go. Meditation under the banyan tree can be a powerful experience.

Polihale

Kauai’s westernmost point is Polihale, which means “House Bosom,” the source of life. The more popular and colorful meaning of the name (believed to be an erroneous translation) is “House of the Po.” Po is the Hawaiian word for afterworld. A legend says spirits (‘hane) travel across the adjacent plain, climb the cliffs (Ha‘ele‘ele), and jump off to Po. Thus, these cliffs are the jumping-off place to the next life. According to the Dalai Lama, this is one of the portals where souls leave this world when they transition, making it a very sacred site. When you visit, it’s a great opportunity to feel and honor the ancestors of Hawaii.

Spirit Quest Tours is going to Kauai in October for the Heart & Soul Adventure to Kaua’i.