Uhiwai: Releasing the Invisible Cord That Holds Your Energy Hostage
I recently started following an incredible woman on Instagram, Mindfully Kai, and something she shared stopped me in my tracks. Not because it was flashy or dramatic, but because it explained something so many of us feel yet struggle to name.
It was about the connection between you and the people who have hurt you.
Not metaphorically.
Energetically.
Somatically.
Ancestrally.
She spoke about Uhiwai, an ancient Hawaiian understanding and practice that restores sovereignty to the mind, body, and spirit.
The Aka Cord: How We Are Connected
According to Native Hawaiian wisdom, every person is born with an aka cord. This cord is not imaginary. It is understood as an energetic network that looks like a woven chain or necklace, a living pipeline through which memories, emotions, consciousness, and life force flow throughout the body.
We are not isolated beings. We are relational.
Through the belly button, we share energetic connection with others. This is how we weave consciousness, share experience, bond, and grow together. When relationships are healthy, energy flows forward, weaving naturally between two people.
But when betrayal happens, something changes.
When Betrayal Reverses the Flow
When someone betrays you, lies to you, abandons you, or deeply wounds you, your perception of them shifts instantly.
In that moment, the flow of consciousness reverses.
Instead of weaving forward, your energy retreats.
And that retreat creates a clog in the aka cord.
This clog lives in the stomach, where emotion and memory are stored according to ancient Hawaiian understanding. This is why betrayal doesn’t just hurt emotionally. It hurts viscerally. You feel it in your gut.
For women, this lives not only in the gut but also in the womb, where creation, memory, and relational imprinting reside. For men, it lives primarily in the gut.
Uhiwai: The Loop That Keeps You Stuck
Here’s the part that explains so much.
That clogged section of the aka cord, the Uhiwai, is constantly doing two things at once:
It retreats to protect you
It reaches outward, seeking acknowledgment
It wants the person who hurt you to know they hurt you.
It seeks an apology.
A recognition.
A moment where they finally see what they did.
So the cord pulls toward them…
Then retreats again.
Over and over.
This looping is exhausting. It drains energy. It keeps you thinking about them. It keeps you triggered. It keeps the past alive in the present.
And most importantly, your energy stays tied up with them.
Why Cutting the Cord Doesn’t Work
This is where Uhiwai differs from many modern approaches.
The cord is not meant to be cut.
It is not meant to be ripped away.
It is not meant to be forcefully severed.
That creates more trauma.
Instead, Uhiwai teaches completion.
When the emotional memory is fully processed, acknowledged, and integrated within you, the cord naturally unwinds. It disconnects on its own, without violence.
And when that happens, something profound occurs.
Your energy returns to you.
What Happens When Uhiwai Is Released
When the Uhiwai dissolves naturally:
You stop obsessively thinking about them
You stop being triggered by their name or presence
The emotional charge disappears
The body softens
The pressure releases
This is not suppression.
This is resolution.
Uhiwai restores sovereignty.
Your personal power.
Your time.
Your energy.
Your creativity.
Your meaning.
You can stand strong in who you are without their memory creating internal conflict, tension, or collapse inside you.
A Path Back to Yourself
@MindfullyKai offers a program and ceremony that guides people through this process step by step. It helps you:
Pinpoint the Uhiwai
Uncord the emotional memory
Unwind the energetic loop
Allow the cord to dissolve naturally
This is not the only way to release energetic ties, but it is a powerful one. And it’s rooted in ancestral wisdom that understands the body not as something to override, but as something to listen to. You can check out her offerings here.
An Invitation to Release
We all carry connections that once served us and no longer do.
Some of them keep us stuck.
Some of them keep us small.
Some of them quietly drain our life force.
Uhiwai reminds us that release does not require force.
It requires completion.
And completion gives you back you.
This is your opportunity to reclaim your energy, your body, your spirit, and your forward movement.
Not by cutting away parts of yourself.
But by gently letting go of what no longer belongs.
Support the Work and Join The Awakening Collective
If this teaching resonated, it’s because something in you is ready to release what no longer belongs and reclaim your energy, clarity, and sovereignty.
The Awakening Collective is a live intention circle where we come together to slow down, regulate the nervous system, and consciously work with intention, release, and inner alignment. This is a grounded space for people who are done carrying old emotional cords, outdated identities, and unresolved patterns alone.
Your donation helps sustain this work and keeps these teachings accessible. It supports the creation of sacred content, intention circles, and spaces where people can reconnect with themselves and each other in meaningful ways.
You’re invited to:
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You don’t have to keep giving your energy to the past.
You don’t have to do this work alone.
When you’re ready, step into the circle.