Lahaina initiative ‘Healing Aloha’ wins Anthem Award for social impact

The Lahaina grassroots initiative, “Healing Aloha | Breath Awareness Campaign Supporting Collective Trauma Through Self-Care,” has won the Humanitarian Action & Services Award for social impact at the 4th Annual Anthem Awards in New York City.

The awards drew more than 2,300 entries from 34 countries and 33,000 finalist supporters. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences recently announced the winners, celebrating global social impact leaders and changemakers.

“This award honors all of Maui’s healers and helpers, who worked tirelessly and selflessly, without compensation, to support the community since August 2023,” said a Healing Aloha representative. “It recognizes and acknowledges our dedication and commitment to healing the community’s collective trauma. This campaign encourages self-care to promote emotional well-being as a powerful mental health tool, especially during the holidays when emotional challenges are more prevalent. The campaign also offers products available for employee wellness programs to enhance stress management, improve focus and promote well-being in the workplace.”

“This year’s Anthem Awards Winners are a crucial reminder of the many inspiring and courageous leaders around us committed to creating change,” said Patricia McLoughlin, Anthem Awards general manager. “Their vital pursuit of a stronger tomorrow is incredible, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support and uplift their efforts. Congratulations to all winners.”

Healing Aloha’s Breath Awareness Campaign was conceived in response to the devastating Maui wildfires of August 2023 when people were emotionally paralyzed — holding their breath — from the trauma. “Healing Aloha” serves as a de-escalation initiative aimed at healing collective trauma by encouraging self-care through conscious breath-work, said Rosemarie Johnson, a trauma-informed coach who speaks nationally to first responders on the subject.

The initiative began with distributing green bracelets engraved with “Healing Aloha” and a powerful Maui insignia inscribed with “Deep Inhale–Slow Exhale–Heal one Hā at a time.” These bracelets are accompanied with an insert card explaining the practice.

Embraced by many Maui healers, this awareness campaign has helped the community cope not just day-to-day, but “breath-by-breath.” The initiative provides additional resources such as trauma-release workshops, an online symposium, and the newly launched “Back to School” initiative to empower emotional stability and well-being among youth.

Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Justin Feinstein, founder of Maui Calm, said : “During trauma or crisis, our bodies enter a fight-or-flight state, activating the sympathetic nervous system. Prolonged exposure to this heightened state can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, immune impairment, cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of developing post traumatic stress disorder.”

“Healing Aloha’s mission is to activate the parasympathetic nervous system — regulate, rest, and digest — by bringing people back to their breath (Hā) as quickly as possible after a crisis. Our breath is the foundation of all daily functions — supporting mental and physical well-being,” said author, neuro-change and cognitive hypnotherapist Claudia Micco.

Controlled breathwork has been proven to reduce stress and blood pressure, improve sleep, increase oxygen levels, strengthen the immune response, and boost concentration and energy. Nick Terry from Breath of Life Recovery in Kīhei, Maui added that “we begin and end life with one breath, and what we do in between determines our health.”

This award further emphasizes the significance of addressing collective trauma — whether from natural disasters, school shootings, pandemics or other crises — through a simple yet profound practice: reconnecting with our breath so individuals and communities can “heal one hā at a time.”

The world showed Maui aloha in the wake of the fires. Now, the healing power of aloha is sparking global change. By sharing healing “breath of life” and supporting those in need; in less than a year, thousands of individuals across ten U.S. states and two countries have embraced and practiced “Healing Aloha.”

Auntie Pilahi Paki predicted: “The world will turn to Hawaiʻi as they search for peace because Hawaiʻi has the key; and that key is aloha.”